A Season to Love
by SerenLyall
Summary: Elrond and Celebrían lived together for many happy years before the tragic incident in the Redhorn Pass. Through all seasons–winter and spring, hardship and ease, dark and light–they were forever side-by-side, to guide and protect, to love and cherish. This is just a small glimpse at their years together; a small window into their lives and their infinite love for one another.
1. Winter's Kiss

**Disclaimer:** Neither Lord of the Rings, nor anything associated with it, belongs to me. No copyright infringement intended! All rights reserved to whoever owns them.

**Rating/Warnings:** Teen. Rated Teen because I'm paranoid, and perhaps for further chapters. Who knows? Warnings: Fluff alert!

**Category:** Romance

**(Chapter) Time frame:** Late fall/early winter of a year before the twins were born.

**A/N:** Well...okay, honestly, I just wanted to write some fluff today. So I sat down and wrote this in all of about...thirty minutes. I have about a million other vignettes in mind for this couple, that will all be too short to be stand-alone fics. So I decided to simply compile them all as a series, with each vignette being a new chapter. It will forever be marked as complete, although I am almost positive that there will be further chapters. I just have to write them out!

Many thanks to **Mirnava** who read through this really quickly before I posted it. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's really been beta'd though, so any and all mistakes lie solely with me.

I'm still really new to the whole 'Romance' genre, so any advice, or tips, or pointers, or nitpicks would be much appreciated! Thank you, and enjoy!

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**Translations:**

Meleth: Love

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~**Winter's Kiss**~

Celebrían sat on one of the library's window seats, her feet tucked beneath her and a blanket draped haphazardly over her legs. A book rested forgotten on her lap, for her gaze drifted beyond the warm confines of the room and out into the untamed world beyond.

It was a dreary, blustery day, with the promise of an imminent storm heavy in the air. Thick banks of dark clouds blanketed the early evening sky, covering the world with an enclosing gray light. The wind howled through the valley, keening as it parted around the eaves of the house, and sending the fire-red and dusk-orange leafed trees whipping to and fro in a frenzied parody of the waltz.

The sound of light feet on the rug alerted Celebrían to his presence. She turned her head slightly, just far enough so that she could see who it was that disturbed her.

"I thought that I might find you here," Elrond said as he drew nigh, a mug of steaming liquid in each hand. "Are you enjoying the weather?" he asked teasingly.

"You know that I am," Celebrían replied coyly, her smile growing.

"I still cannot understand your penchant for clouds," Elrond said as he paused beside a small table pushed against the wall to the side of the window alcove and placed the mugs atop the mahogany surface.

"They make me feel alive," Celebrían replied simply, all of the teasing going out of her voice, although her smile did not dissipate.

"Hmmm," Elrond murmured as he crossed the intervening distance to the window seat. He sat down on the edge of the cushion and looked over Celebrían's shoulder, the better to see the wind-swept sky. "All I can say is that I am glad to have a roof over my head and a warm fire in a hearth on this day," Elrond said, and his eyes darted to his wife's.

Celebrían's smile softened, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. To her surprise, his skin was chilled.

"Elrond, you are cold," she exclaimed, and reached out to take his hands in hers. His fingers, too, were cold, and she clasped them between her own warm palms.

"Aye, it is quite cold out today, and the wind is biting. I spent the last hour out of doors with Glorfindel, inspecting the final snow fences around the northern pastures. As I said," he added with a small laugh, "I am glad for a warm fire. And you of course, meleth," he added, and kissed her own cheek in return.

Celebrían released Elrond's hands and scooted away from the wall, lifting the rumpled blanket away from her legs. She looked at Elrond with eyebrows raised, and after half a second, he smiled and did as she silently bade.

Elrond settled himself more firmly on the window seat, his back against the wall, his legs stretched out to either side of Celebrían. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her against his chest, so that she was sitting between his legs, safely held in his embrace. Celebrían spread the blanket out over both of their legs, then settled back against his chest, covering his chilled hands with hers once more.

A single lazy snowflake drifted past the window, before landing on the sill and melting. A second flake joined the first, then a third. Soon enough, the world beyond the window was a-flurry with snow, the wind catching the tiny flecks of ice and sending them cavorting through the air.

"I brought tea," Elrond murmured after a few moments of silence, in which the two had simply sat and watched the falling snow.

"Ah, so that is what is in the mugs?"

"Mmhmm," Elrond affirmed.

"Are you not going to get them then?" Celebrían asked, when she realized he had made no move to retrieve the mugs.

"I'm quite content here, and not particularly inclined to moving just yet," Elrond replied, and tightened his embrace just a little. Celebrían laughed lightly.

"Well if you are not going to get them, then I shall," she said. "You know how I despise cold tea," she added.

Grudgingly, Elrond released her, allowing her to slide out from beneath the blankets and off of the window seat. She disappeared out of Elrond's line of sight for a second, then returned, bearing the mugs.

"Here you are, my _lord_," Celebrían teased, and handed one of the mugs to Elrond. He took it with a half-mocking incline of his head, a slight smirk dancing over his lips.

Her long fingers wrapped through the stem of the mug, soaking in the warmth of the steaming liquid through the pewter, and she took a small sip. The rich tang of hazelnut washed over her tongue, accented by the barest hint of vanilla, and it filled her mouth with the deep taste of the earth. Warmth spread through her as the hot tea trickled down her throat.

With a small sigh of contentment, Celebrían settled against Elrond's chest. His arms encircled her waist again, pulling her into his warm, stolid embrace. As his scent washed over her, covered her, she could not help but feel safe and at peace. A soft kiss was planted on the top of her head. Turning around, Celebrían just managed to catch Elrond's chin with her lips, and she returned the gesture.

Elrond smiled down at his wife, his silver eyes unreadable in the depth of their emotion. Yet Celebrían knew what it was that she read there, and she knew that her own gaze echoed his own.

Wordlessly, Celebrían turned back around, her head falling back and coming to rest just beneath Elrond's chin. Elrond tightened his embrace a little more, pulling Celebrían more snugly against him, soaking in her warmth and her presence.

Glorfindel found them sitting like that an hour later, their mugs of tea long gone cold, watching the falling snow, safe and warm in the other's embrace. Without a word, he turned and left, a small smile of his own hovering on his lips.


	2. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

**Disclaimer:** I make absolutely no claims to Lord of the Rings, or any people, places, events, etc. herein that may in any way pertain to any real life situation. No money has been made from the writing of this...in fact, I've payed much in the way of time and sleep for the writing of this.

**Time Frame:** Summer of a year after Elrond and Celebrían's wedding, but before the twins came along.

**A/N:** So I've come to the realization that I have a tendency to picture Celebrían with a book, curled up somewhere, or else sleeping, whenever it comes to Elrond. I honestly don't know why...and I promise, that's not all she does! She's not _that_ shallow of a character! Bahaha. Anyway, I just figured I'd let you know I recognized those tendencies. Secondly, while I don't generally agree with canon characters calling other canon characters nicknames, I feel like certain relationships would warrant 'pet names', if you will - names that only the other is allowed to call them, and are unique and special in some way. Lastly, my Sindarin is atrocious. I'm still learning, so I'm still having to look stuff up, and looking around to find what sites are reliable and what are not. So, if you are good with Sindarin, and catch any slip-ups on my part, please let me know!

A huge, huge, HUGE thanks to everyone who's reviewed thus far: Oleanne, Star of the Wolf, Anagram-Analogy, and Greenleaf's Daughter. You all really encouraged me, and have given me the courage to keep writing this, even though I'm not sure I write romance very well...  
Also, my sincerest gratitude to **Mirnava** for beta'ing this for me!

I'd absolutely love it if you would drop off a few words on your way out. Just tell me what you liked, or what you didn't like, or anything else you want to say! More importantly, though, I hope you enjoy!

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**Translations:**

El-nin: My Star

Meleth: Love

Le melon: I love you

Ar le melon: And I love you

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**~Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep~**

Elrond sighed as he quietly opened the door to his and Celebrían's shared rooms and slipped inside. A dull headache throbbed behind his eyes, accenting the exhaustion that covered him like a smothering blanket and slowed his movements and dulled his senses. He could not, at the moment, remember the last time he had properly slept. Days had been spent locked away in council rooms – council rooms filled with the cacophony of irate voices shouting, fists pounding on the sturdy oaken table, and the impatient shifting of chairs. Nights had been spent conferring with Glorfindel and Erestor, as well as attempting to soothe injured dignities of all parties involved. Most of the remaining time had been spent in lavish dinners and small parties, all thrown in honor of the visiting Dwarven and Mirkwood delegations. That had left blessed little time for such trivial pursuits such as _sleep_, at least while the actual convention was being held.

Elrond crossed the darkened sitting room soundlessly, instinct guiding him safely around the low table and various other pieces of furniture more than sight. When he reached the far side of the room, Elrond hesitated for a second, debating whether or not he should bathe before going into the bedroom. He did not wish to risk waking Celebrían, who was almost certainly sleeping. After another moment, however, Elrond decided against it. He was simply too tired to bathe; he would likely fall asleep in the water and, knowing his luck, would accidentally drown.

As noiselessly as he could, Elrond opened the door to the bedroom.

To Elrond's surprise, the room was not dark. A lamp burned brightly on the small dresser on Celebrían's side of the bed, casting a warm golden glow throughout the spacious room. Celebrían herself was curled up in the armchair beside the window, a book lying haphazardly on her knee. The window had been opened in the hopes of enticing in a breeze, and the curtains were blowing slightly with the eddying currents of air. Moonlight mingled with the lamplight, and together they caressed the elleth's face in silver and gold, and set hair aglow with tawny cream edged in pure silver. For a heartbeat, Elrond was awed motionless by her beauty, and his heart swelled with love, the emotion momentarily choking him.

On light feet, Elrond crossed to the window. He leaned down and softly brushed his lips against Celebrían's forehead, then lifted the book from her lap. Shutting it, he gently laid it on the nightstand, making sure to slide the discarded bookmark between the pages before closing it, so as not to lose her place.

For an instant, Elrond considered waking Celebrían. She would be much more comfortable in their bed, rather than curled in a ball in the armchair. Almost immediately, however, Elrond dismissed the notion. He was loath to disturb her from her slumber, for he knew she had had blessed little sleep those last few days as well.

Instead, Elrond slid one hand beneath her shoulders, and the other beneath her knees, and lifted her up into his arms. His arms quivered slightly under her weight, a testament to his weariness.

Holding her safely to his chest, Elrond crossed to the bed. With one foot, he tugged the sheets off of the bed, then laid his precious burden down on the mattress, her head cushioned by a pillow.

Celebrían stirred, and then blinked once, her eyes coming into focus. They latched onto the sight of Elrond standing above her, and she smiled sleepily.

"Come to bed, El-nin," she murmured, and reached out to latch onto his fingers.

"In a moment," Elrond promised, and bent to kiss her brow.

Celebrían released Elrond's hand, and turned over onto her side, the better to watch her husband.

Elrond slowly disentangled the circlet from his hair, turning away and retreating to the foot of the bed as he did so. When the mithril band finally came away from the final intricate braid, Elrond happily dropped the circlet onto the top of dresser. He would have to properly care for it the next day, but at the moment, he found couldn't care less.

He then methodically began to doff the heavy, flowing robes that his station dictated that he wear for important occasions. He disliked such finery, preferring much simpler robes or, if he was lucky, nothing more fancy than leggings and a tunic.

In his exhausted state, it took Elrond almost twice as long to remove the robes as normal. His fingers simply did not seem to want to obey the simple movement required to unclasp the small clips, and his limbs felt heavy and sluggish.

"Let me help you," Celebrían offered, and made to rise.

"No, meleth, go to sleep," Elrond told her. "I do not need help." As if to prove the wearied elf lord wrong, the clasp that Elrond was trying to unhook slipped from his fingers and returned to its clip. Elrond let loose an uncustomary curse, the word slipping from between his lips unchecked. Celebrían lifted an eyebrow, surprised. Elrond very rarely swore, and when he did, it was usually for very good cause. He truly was beyond tired if he no longer even cared enough to watch his tongue.

"Let me help you," Celebrían repeated, standing, albeit wearily, and ignoring Elrond's look. She rounded the foot of the bed, coming to stand in front of her husband. Gently taking Elrond's hands in hers, she pulled them away from his robe's fastenings. Elrond allowed her to do so, suddenly too tired to refute any help.

With a few deft twists, the clasps came undone. Celebrían repeated the process again on the other side, and a moment later, Elrond was gratefully pulling the cloth from his shoulders. The robes pooled to the floor about his feet, a mound of rumpled navy and silver cloth.

Celebrían picked up the fallen finery and draped it over the back of her recently vacated armchair. Elrond, meanwhile, peeled off his silk shirt, which clung to his skin with a thin filament of sweat. He shivered slightly as the cooler air brushed his bare skin. All the same, he did not move to don another. The silk shirt joined his robes on the back of the armchair a moment later.

"Now will you come to bed?" Celebrían asked, her tone almost pleading. Elrond smiled wanly, and took her hand in his.

They lay down together, and Elrond wrapped his arms around her. Uncaring of the warmth of the night, at least for the moment, Celebrían snuggled up against Elrond, and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Le melon," Elrond murmured.

"Ar le melon," Celebrían murmured in reply.

Silence wrapped the lovers in its embrace as, less than a moment later, both succumbed to the peaceful land of dreams.


	3. Healer of All Hurts

**Disclaimer:** Nothing to do with Tolkien's brilliant writings belong to me. They belong to him. What a surprise, right?!

**Time Frame:** Any time between Elrond and Celebrían's marriage, and shortly before Celebrían is captured in the Redhorn Pass. Take your pick.

**A/N:** Well, first off, it's ridiculously late where I'm at right now. I'm officially brain dead. Ah well...school should be interesting tomorrow!...today? Secondly, thank you again to everyone who reviewed last chapter: a guest, Anagram-Analogy, Greenleaf's Daughter, and Oleanne. Thank you guys again! To all of you who have favorited or alerted, thank you as well! And to all of you lurkers: I hope you're enjoying it, and I would love it if you would drop off a few quick words on your way out! Thirdly, this chapter has not been beta'd, due to it being ridiculously late (as mentioned above). However, I really wanted to get this out tonight because...

This chapter is for Greenleaf's Daughter. I hope, perhaps, this chapter may be able to start your day today off better than yesterday! Thank you so much for all of your support, and ideas, and creativity, and just always being around to talk to! Le hannon, mellon nin!

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**Translation:**

Meleth: Love

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**~Healer of All Hurts~**

The sound of someone in the small storage room, rummaging through one of the many stacked on the shelves, was what first alerted Elrond that something was amiss. Turning aside from the main hallway, he slowly opened the door, and stepped inside.

He instantly knew who it was that had caused the disturbance, despite the fact that his view of said person was obstructed by a set of shelves bisecting the room in half. A small knot of worry sequestered itself in his gut. Naught but healing supplies were kept in this room.

"Celebrían?" Elrond called out, leaving the doorway and stepping further into the room. The noise stilled abruptly, as if the other had frozen. "Celebrían, are you in here?"

"Yes, I am here," came the hesitant reply a few seconds later.

Elrond stepped around the edge of the shelves, his gaze sweeping back and forth as he searched for his wife. He finally found her at the far back of the aisle, her back turned to him as she searched one-handed through a crate halfway up the shelves.

"Celebrían?" Elrond asked, hurrying forward. "Are you well?"

Seemingly giving up on her search, Celebrían turned. "I am fine," she replied, and smiled semi-convincingly. Elrond frowned and drew nigh. The slight twang of freshly spilled blood was tingling the air, and it grew stronger as he approached his wife.

Celebrían twisted her right hand out of sight and into her skirt. Elrond noticed the movement, and his frown deepened as he stepped forward. Taking her wrist, he drew her hand away from the protective folds of cloth, and into the open air where he could see it. Celebrían allowed him to take her hand, although grudgingly.

"It is nothing serious," she informed Elrond lightly, and attempted to pull her palm from his grasp.

"Let me be the judge of that," Elrond replied, his fingertips carefully probing the skin. She hissed in sudden pain as one finger brushed the flesh close to her thumb.

A long, deep gash ran diagonally down from her palm directly beneath the pointer finger, all of the way to the heel of the palm. It continued to ooze blood, staining Celebrían's fair flesh crimson as it trickled down between her fingers in rivulets. Elrond winced in sympathy as he applied pressure to the center of her palm, checking for nerve damage, and Celebrían hissed again.

"Well, I do not believe there is any damage done to the nerve, which is good. Come, let us go to my study, where there is more light. I can clean and suture the cut there," Elrond offered.

"Really, Elrond, it is not that serious of an injury. Surely it does not need to be stitched?"

"It is a very deep cut, Celebrían," Elrond said firmly. "It will heal much faster and much less painfully if it is closed."

With a sigh, Celebrían relented. "Very well then."

Elrond led the way from the storage room and down the hall toward his study, Celebrían following close behind.

Within only a few moments, Celebrían was seated in a chair pulled over to the window and into a ray of sunshine, her hand resting palm-up on the arm rest. Elrond was washing his hands, preparing to clean the wound.

"How did it happen?" Elrond asked.

"It does not matter, really," Celebrían said loftily.

"Celebrían," Elrond admonished. Celebrían did not reply. "Please?" he added when his wife was no more forthcoming.

With another sigh, this time one of slightly more exasperation, Celebrían relented.

"I was pruning the roses, and the pruning knife slipped," she admitted ruefully. "As I said before, it is inconsequential, really."

Elrond knelt beside the chair and began to wash away the blood and small particles of dirt and dust that had settled into the cut.

"Inconsequential to you, perhaps," Elrond stated, "but important to me. How else am I to know what to expect when cleaning the wound, or closing it? For example…"

Celebrían could not help but chuckle slightly. He could go on indefinitely, once started on such a topic such as that one. She leaned forward and kissed Elrond to silence him, then settled back into her chair.

"Yes, meleth, I know," Celebrían said with another chuckle. "I merely did not want you to know of my foolish clumsiness." She blushed slightly.

"I would not care even if you were the most ungraceful creature that had ever walked Arda, so you should not either," Elrond replied, and smiled in return.

Finished cleaning the wound, Elrond turned his attention to the precise action of suturing the small wound. Silence fell as Elrond concentrated, and Celebrían watched and waited, keeping her hand as still as she could.

"There, that is done," Elrond announced after a few more moments of silence. He cut the thread, and turned to deposit the needle on top of the small healer's pouch that he kept in his desk at all times – it would need to be cleaned before placed back with its brothers.

It seemed that Elrond was not completely done, however. He took out a small jar of a thick ointment and, daubing his fingers in the sludgy mixture, rubbed it gently into the freshly stitched gash. Coolness seeped down through the skin and the pained flesh, settling down in the deepest part of the injury. Celebrían sighed slightly as the pain dissipated.

Elrond wrapped her hand twice with a thin white bandage. "It will keep the ointment from rubbing off," he told her, then moved off to return his supplies to their place, and wash his hands.

"Next time," Elrond said as he returned and reached down to take Celebrían's good hand in his, "don't allow that pruning knife to get the best of you. You are an elf, it is an inanimate object!" Celebrían laughed lightly. "Don't allow it even an inch of leeway, or it will take advantage of you, and take your actions as submission," he added with mock severity. Celebrían continued to laugh, and Elrond smiled in return, then pulled her to her feet.

Elrond kissed Celebrían softly, her hands still safely held in his. It seemed to her that tiny waves of warmth seeped into her injured hand, soothing the inflammation and washing away the pain.

Celebrían stepped forward so that she her own body pressed to Elrond's, their clasped hands trapped between them. Elrond leaned down and kissed her again, then pulled her to him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you," Celebrían murmured up to him.

"Always," Elrond replied.


	4. Leaf of Gold

**Disclaimer:** Nothing herein is mine, sadly. It all belongs to the Tolkien Estate, and anyone else who owns it.

**Time frame:** This really could be anytime, from Elrond and Celebrían's courtship, all of the way up until Celebrían left for Lothlorien that fateful day.

**A/N:** I'm terribly sorry that it has taken me so long to get another of these written! I won't bore you with regaling all of my troubles and woes and excuses, however. I do have about 3 of these partially written though, so as soon as I have time to work on them, there should be a few coming out in pretty quick succession. This little one, however, struck me quite forcefully this evening. I was just sitting at my desk, and I looked out my window, and there was this glorious sunset. So I grabbed my laptop, moved over to sit on my bed where I can see out of the window better, and proceeded to write this. Thus the description of the day is pretty much what you would have seen out of my window about an hour ago :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And of course, many thanks to all of my reviewers from last chapter: Greenleaf's Daughter, elrond peredhel, dinopoodle, Oleanne, Anagram-Analogy, and AriaMirror1028! (And my apologies, Aria, for not having responded to your review personally! Thank you so much for your support, and I am glad you are enjoying it!) All of your support really means a lot to me. (And now, I think this A/N is longer than the actual vignette...my bad!) I hope you all enjoy this!

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**~Leaf of Gold~**

They simply sat together, motionless, and silent, watching the blazing sun as it sank slowly behind the towering hills all around. The sky, awash with a soft lavender color that paled to pastel blue near the horizon, was streaked with a hundred strips of scudding clouds, whose brilliant rose hearts stood out starkly against the soft hues of the heavens. The startling yellow of the leaves adorning the branches blazed golden in the failing light.

A light breeze rustled through the peaceful valley, tickling the leaves until they danced, and whispering over the two elves' bare feet and brushing their cheeks. A single leaf parted ways from the limb upon which it had grown and flourished, yearning to join the wind in that last blessed moment of the autumn sunlight. It caught the sun's dying rays, and as it drifted lazily to the yellowing grass, it was as if a wing of gold had been lifted up by the wind's breath.

The leaf landed with a small _shush_ against Elrond's foot. With delicate fingers, he picked up the fragile plant, and turned to she who sat beside him. With a deft movement, he tucked the golden leaf behind her hear, trapping a stray lock of hair behind it, to fall in curling waves over her shoulder, swirling about the leaf's fronds. In the fading light, the amber of the leaf brought out the faintest traces of gold in her hair silver-blonde tresses.

Celebrían caught Elrond's hand as he pulled back, and leaned in. With just the faintest of touches, she brushed her lips against his, a smile of thanks and filled with love dancing in her eyes. As she pulled back, Elrond kept a hold of her hand, and pulled her a little closer to him, to his side.

She nestled comfortably against him, allowing her head to fall to his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, and wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her close. His right hand he kept firmly entwined with hers.

And they simply sat together like that, motionless, and silent, watching the blazing sun as it sank slowly behind the towering hills all around.


	5. Strange Melody

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Please don't sue, because you won't get anything except a lot of wasted time. Promise!

**Time frame:** I'm not really sure. Probably after the twins, and possibly Arwen have been born, however they're not mentioned.

**A/N:** Meh...I don't know where this came from. Probably from the fact that I'm a) exhausted, and b) have had a constant headache for the past 3 days or so. I really shouldn't have written this, because I need to be in bed thirty minutes ago. But oh well. My sincerest apologies for any and all grammatical issues herein. They're mine and mine alone, and I'm sure there's a few at least. I promise I did read through it, but at this point, I dunno that I'd even recognize a fragment. Haha, such is my mental state. Haha.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Silent One, Greenleaf's Daughter, and dinopoodle. You guys are the best! Thank you so much! To all of you who are reading, I'd love it if you'd drop a few words on your way out, even just to say whether you liked it or not. In any case, though, I hope you enjoy!

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**Translations:**

Meleth: Love

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**Name:**

Brí: Elrond's name for Celebrían. Not really sure what it would mean, when broken down into its Sindarin parts. I've seen it done before, though, and I like it. So...this falls in with the "pet name" thing that I mentioned a couple chapters ago.

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**~Strange Melody~**

Raven hair pooled out beneath him, cascading across a silken lap and framing a delicately angled face. His eyes were closed fast, his long, dark lashes dusting his cheeks. The soft sound of his hitching breathing lay just beneath the crackling of the fire, weaving a strange melody of pain with that of comfort.

Celebrían sat upon a couch in Elrond's study, feet tucked up beneath her, and her Beloved's head resting on her lap. Her long fingers were lost amongst the tangles of his hair as she methodically massaged his head, neck, and upper shoulders. She was looking down at Elrond's face, which was tight and drawn with suppressed agony.

"Feeling any better?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"A little," Elrond replied, his own voice as quiet as Celebrían's, and somehow more fragile. He winced almost imperceptibly at the words, however, and Celebrían quickly saw through the lie.

It was not often that Elrond suffered from such debilitating headaches, a fact that Celebrían was eternally thankful for. Yet when such a headache came, they were often strong enough to cause him to black out and vomit. Most often they came when he was exhausted, and most especially after he had spent much of his strength healing another.

He had already been drained from nearly a week of Council meetings when they brought Aravadhor's squad home on litters. Aravadhor himself had been the most grievously injured, and throughout that first night, all had believed that his spirit would flee to Mandos' Halls ere dawn broke the veil of night. He had defied all odds, however, and had lived to see daybreak and beyond. Much of that had been Elrond's doing, however, or so Celebrían assumed. She could sense, even if she could not see, how he had poured as much of his own brightly burning life into his dear friend as he dared, giving the younger elf's heart the strength to continue beating, and his lungs to keep breathing.

He had fallen silent once more, his labored breathing the only sound signifying that he lived, and he lay so unnaturally still. Unbidden memory filled her mind, carrying her back just a few short hours before, and once more she felt a small bubble of terror well up in her chest, even at the simple thought of what she had seen.

_"Elrond?" she called out, knocking on his study door. Her knuckles fell against the thick wood and the sound echoed percussively, as if the sound met only emptiness on the other side. When she got no reply, Celebrían unlatched the door and pushed it open, stepping through into the dimly lit room beyond._

_ Brow creased at the oddity of the fire in his study being unlit at this time of night, Celebrían pushed farther into the room, the uneasy feeling that had sent her to her husband's study increasing with each passing second. _

_ "Elrond?" Celebrían called out tentatively into the shadows, which seemed to be welcoming, as if they yearned to fold her into a warm embrace. None answered._

_ 'Perhaps,' she thought, 'he has yet to awaken, and is still in our chambers.' She hoped that such was the truth, although, knowing him as well as she did, she had been sure that he would not have slept for so long, even after nearly exhausting himself the day before. _

_ Celebrían turned to exit the study when a faint flicker caught her eye. Turning quickly, she caught sight of the faint light yet again, issuing from behind the sofa pushed close to the row of bookshelves lining the wall. On quick feet, Celebrían hurried around the couch toward the faint light, the knot of worry growing tenfold although she could not say why._

_ When she saw what lay behind, she stopped stock still for a long instant, frozen in place with numbing fear._

_ Elrond lay crumpled at the base of a bookcase, one arm stretched out above his head. Near his fingertips, listing to the side in a pile of melted wax, lay guttering candle – the source of the light Celebrían had seen. Elrond's eyes were closed, and he lay deathly motionless._

_ Celebrían suddenly found it in herself to move, and she flung herself down beside her Beloved. With trembling hands she reached for him, placing two of her fingers in the small hollow to the side of his neck. His skin was ice cold, she noticed off-handedly._

_ The faint throb of a weak, yet steady pulse met her touch, and she released a breath that she had not known she had been holding. It came out as a strangled sob._

_ As if reacting to her touch, Elrond stirred, his clouded grey eyes fluttering open. For a long moment, it seemed as if he could not focus on her, but then recognition dawned in his face, and he reached for her. Celebrían seized his hand in hers and held it tightly, clutching to it as one would a lifeline thrown to a drowning sailor._

_ "Brí?" he asked tentatively, and almost immediately winced in pain as the sudden sound grated on his ears._

_ "Hush," Celebrían ordered softly. "I shall go find Glorfindel." Unsure of what else to do, she leaned down and kissed him gently on the brow, conveying with the touch the promise that she would return as quickly as she could. With that she stood, his hand pulling from hers listlessly and falling back to the floor. His eyes followed her as she turned and ran from the room, then closed painfully as he waited for her to return with the Balrog Slayer._

"Do not ever scare me like that again," Celebrían plead barely audibly. Elrond's eyes opened slightly as he looked up at her questioningly. "Please," she added, and in her crystal blue eyes, Elrond could catch a glimpse of the depth of her fear.

"I shall try," he promised, "Although I can make no promises." For the first time in many long hours he smiled. It was a small, pained smile, but it was a smile none the less. Celebrían's heart soared.

"Good. I rejoice to hear that." Elrond's eyes slid close again, and the lines above his brow creased. Even that much speech had taxed him and caused him more pain, Celebrían realized with a pang.

"Sleep, meleth," Celebrían urged quietly. She leaned down and softly kissed Elrond's forehead, the tip of his nose, and finally his lips. "Sleep," she whispered.

Slowly, Elrond's breathing evened out as he sank into a dreamless healing sleep. Celebrían did not move but for her hands, which continued to massage Elrond's head and neck. She simply sat, guarding her Beloved against any nightly sound or disturbance, giving him what she could, which was, consequently, that which aided him most – her love.


	6. Listen to My Heart

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, so please don't sue. No money was made from the writing of this, only wasted time which should have been used to finish my Halloween story that I have to finish reading in class tomorrow. No matter...

**Time frame:** Well, the time frame becomes pretty apparent at the end. But just to give you a heads up, this is shortly (as in VERY shortly) before Elrond and Celebrían begin to court.

**A/N:** So, I was listening to music while doing homework tonight, and "Come What May" came on. There was this one line that just jumped out at me this time around. I think it went something along the lines of "And listen to my heart..." or something to that effect. Anyway, that was how this idea was born. It's very late for me, so my apologies for any grammatical errors herein. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter: dinopoodle, Guest, and LalaithElerrina! Also, many thanks to all of you who have favorited and/or alerted. To all of you lurkers, thanks for reading, although I would love it if you would take the time to drop off a few words, even if it's an anonymous "Hey, I liked it" or whatever. In any case, though, I hope that you enjoy!**  
**

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**Translations:**

Nenya: Water (One of the three elven rings of power - the Ring of Adamant, and the ring of water. This ring was given to Galadriel to keep)

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**~Listen to My Heart~**

A hesitant knock at the doorway broke Elrond's concentration on the papers scattered across his desktop. He placed his quill down in the inkwell rather agitatedly, frowning in annoyance. He had specifically asked that he not be disturbed, something that he rarely did, and when he did ask such a thing, it was adhered to near-religiously. Normally it was, in any case.

_You are being irascible,_ Elrond told himself sternly. _Now cease being such. It is no one's fault, and you should not take your fear from this afternoon out on anyone else._ With a small, nearly inaudible sigh, Elrond schooled his features into impassivity, hiding his thoughts behind the calm, collected mask that he had come to be so well known for.

A second knock, even more tentative than the first, sounded at the study door.

"Enter," Elrond bade. The door opened softly, a fact that struck Elrond as odd, seeing as he had assumed that whoever it was who dared disturb him was either one of his advisors, or one of the Dúnedain council that was currently adjourning in his house. As he thought about it, however, he realized that even the knock had sounded different than one would have expected, had it been one of his presumed guests.

Someone slipped through the narrow opening between door and frame, then turned and closed the door gently, the latch clicking into place quietly. The person turned slowly toward Elrond's desk, and the light from the fire in the grate fell across her face.

Silver blonde locks cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in loose ringlets, accenting ice blue eyes that shone out from a pale face. A thin, navy blue dress clung to her shoulders and hips, over which she wore a loose robe of pale cream that trailed about her.

"Celebrían," Elrond exclaimed, all of his ire from the moment before vanishing as he stood and swept around the edge of his desk to go to the young woman standing practically in the doorway, her arms wrapping themselves over her stomach. She had not moved since she had entered, and was simply standing there uncertainly, shifting her weight slightly from one foot to the other. "I thought you were resting," Elrond commented, worry now beginning to take the place of the annoyance of before.

"I could not sleep," Celebrían replied softly, not meeting Elrond's gaze.

Reaching her, Elrond reached out and placed his hands on Celebrían's upper arms, just below her shoulders, silently urging her to look up at him. She did so slowly.

"Every time I close my eyes," Celebrían confided, "I see the water closing over my head, blocking out my sight; I feel the currents holding me down helplessly, thwarting all of my struggles. I…" Celebrían broke off, unable to choke out any more. She was trembling, Elrond realized.

Elrond's healer instincts took control, tucking away the worry that gnawed at him at seeing Celebrían in such a state.

With his hands still on Celebrían's arms, Elrond backed up, leading her gently toward the fireplace, around which two armchairs and a small sofa had been situated. She followed almost numbly, trusting that where he led was where she wished to follow.

They reached the sofa, and Elrond guided Celebrían down onto the cushions. She sat down gingerly as if she were almost afraid that the couch would sting her, her eyes still fastened on Elrond's face. Elrond sat down beside her before reaching out and pulling a neatly folded blanket from the armrest a few inches away. He shook out the folds, then draped it around Celebrían's shoulders

"Thank you," Celebrían murmured, finally looking down, her gaze coming to rest on her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"I cannot…!" Celebrían exclaimed, and her eyes flew back to Elrond's. She fell silent, and her frustration at her inability to speak her thoughts was evident in her gaze. Elrond remained silent, knowing that she would find the words to continue on, and waited for her to be ready to do so.

"I cannot seem to forget," Celebrían finally said. "I cannot forget the feeling of helplessness, nor the fear, nor the realization of how fragile life truly is. It was as if, in that moment that I was pulled underwater, I was able to understand just how tenuous our hold on life is. With just the briefest second, that life can be extinguished. Merely one little slip, one misstep, and that thin thread that separates the living from the dead snaps. And I am afraid," she added in a whisper. "I am afraid that such a delicate thing can be destroyed by something as slight as a breath of wind."

For a long moment, Elrond was silent, pondering on what he could say to her that would ease her fear.

"Do you trust me?" he asked finally.

"Yes," Celebrían replied without even an instant of hesitation, although she looked at him questioningly.

Elrond took Celebrían's hands in his own, pulling her closer to him. He leaned back as he did so, settling into the pillows tucked into the corner, where the back of the couch met the armrest. He pulled her down carefully until she was lying with her head on his chest, her ear directly over his heart.

"What do you hear?" he asked after a few seconds.

"I hear your heart beating," Celebrían answered.

"Aye. And does my heart beat sound weak?"

"No, it does not," Celebrían replied a little more confidently.

"Life _is_ a delicate thing," Elrond said, his voice soft, "But there is strength in it as well. We are living, breathing beings, creatures with souls. Yes, that means that we die, that we are subject to the ways and woes of the world, but that also means that we have a brightly burning flame, a flame that no other being has. It gives us the power of choice, something which lends us strength if we choose the path of life."

Celebrían shifted, moving her head so that she could look up at Elrond, who was gazing down at her as she lay against his chest.

"Do you really believe that?" she queried.

"Aye, I do," Elrond replied. "Nothing happens by accident, and life is far too precious a thing to be blown away without a second thought."

"Thank you," Celebrían whispered after a moment's silent thought, moving her head back to its previous position with her ear over Elrond's heart. "Thank you for being here. And…and for coming for me. I thought I was going to die today," she said tremulously. "But then you came. You came for me. I prayed that you would save me…and you did." A small sob hitched her voice.

"I will always come for you," Elrond promised, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders in a comforting embrace. "I promise."

* * *

Galadriel and Celeborn approached Elrond's study at a sedate pace, their arms intertwined. They spoke not a word – they did not need to. So perfectly in sync were they, silver and gold, that they no longer needed words to know what the other thought and felt, all mental powers aside.

Neither would deny that the incident earlier in the evening had frightened them. Galadriel knew that she would take the sight of Celebrían being pulled beneath the water by the terrifyingly powerful undercurrent with her to her dying day. Even now, knowing that her daughter was safe, Galadriel felt her heart constrict with fear at the thought of what had nearly happened.

If it had not been for Elrond…

If it had not been for Elrond, Celeborn would have gone in after Celebrían, and likely would have suffered the same fate as his daughter. Nenya would not have allowed Galadriel to have attempted to touch the water, for the Ring of Adamant had sensed the rampaging current as it rushed down the stream, and knew that even her powers would not have been able to halt such a force of water that had not already once been bent to her control.

If it had not been for Elrond…

But Elrond had been there, and he had dived into the churning waters without a second thought. The minute in which he had been underwater, had fought the river for supremacy, had felt like an eternity to all those on the bank. But he triumphed, and the river had bowed to the command of its lord. He resurfaced, and in his arms he carried a semi-conscious Celebrían.

Galadriel was dragged from her thoughts as someone stepped into the hall in front of her and Celeborn, effectively blocking their way.

"Lord Elrond asked that he not be disturbed," the guard informed the lord and lady, bowing his head respectfully, yet remaining in their path.

Galadriel glanced over at Celeborn, one eyebrow arching upward gracefully.

"Might we ask why he asked not to be disturbed?" Celeborn asked, his tone light, yet with a cold edge to it. The guard glanced between Celeborn and Galadriel and swallowed thickly, but still did not budge.

"No my lord," the guard replied, "He did not. Lord Glorfindel merely approached me a little more than two hours past, and asked if I would be willing to stand guard over my lord's study to ensure that none disturbed him."

"And have you carried out your duty?" Celeborn asked. "Have you kept all who have come to see Lord Elrond out of his study?" Again the guard shifted uneasily. Celeborn smiled thinly. "I thought not." And with that, Celeborn and Galadriel swept around the rather flustered guard, and entered Elrond's office.

Yes, it was rude to not knock. Both realized this. Yet in the same moment, they could not care less. Galadriel had believed that Celebrían would seek out Elrond, and her suspicions had been proven true. Now the two parents were acting like any concerned parents would in the wake of any dangerous situation involving a child; they were acting a tad overprotective.

The study door swung shut behind the two, sealing off the room once more. Neither Elrond nor Celebrían were anywhere to be seen. Brow creasing in a frown, Galadriel stepped toward the fire, Celeborn following behind. As they drew near, Galadriel peered over the back of the couch, and stopped still.

Both Elrond and Celebrían lay upon the sofa, Celebrían's head cushioned on the elf lord's chest. One of Elrond's arms was wrapped around her shoulders. Celebrían was fast asleep, her eyes closed in a deep healing slumber. Elrond's eyes were halfway shut, although Galadriel did not think that he was truly asleep.

She was proven correct when, upon sensing Galadriel and Celeborn's presence, Elrond opened his eyes fully, glancing up at them standing over him. He blanched, realizing that the parents of the young woman he was currently holding and who was sleeping beside him were standing over them, and they were looking not precisely pleased.

As gently as he could, Elrond slid out from beneath Celebrían and off of the sofa, laying her head down on his vacated pillow. Celebrían stirred as he pulled away, and for an instant it seemed that she would awaken.

"Hush, Celebrían. Sleep now," Elrond whispered, his voice barely audible, and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Celebrían calmed, slipping back into sleep.

Galadriel exchanged glances with Celeborn. He looked none too happy, although Galadriel was relieved to see that the murderous gleam usually reserved for far-too-forward suitors was absent.

_Go easy on him,_ Galadriel urged her husband.

Celeborn raised his eyebrows. _Why should I? _he asked. _It seems as if he needs a lesson in propriety._

Galadriel laughed silently, her dancing eyes the only visible sign of her mirth. _We were not so different from them, were we? _she asked. Celeborn deigned not to answer.

Galadriel smiled softly at her husband, then looked back to Elrond, who was only just straightening. He had missed their entire exchange, but that was likely for the best.

Coming around the edge of the sofa, Elrond touched Galadriel on the elbow, indicating that they should both follow him. They did so, and he led them across his study and toward a small table that stood pushed up against the wall a few feet from his desk. A decanter of red wine sat upon the cloth covering the table, and four goblets stood in two rows.

Elrond poured two goblets of wine, one each for Galadriel and Celeborn, and then poured a third for himself. After replacing the wine on the table, he turned to face the other two.

"Nothing happened," Elrond assured them, knowing full well what it was that they wished to speak with him about, and not wanting to beat about the bush. "She was merely exhausted, and still suffering from shock."

"So you would take advantage of her weakness?" Celeborn asked, his voice hard as tempered steel.

Elrond looked aghast. "Never!" he exclaimed, a little more vehemently than he had perhaps intended, for he quickly glanced toward the sofa where Celebrían slept on. "No," he repeated, lowering his voice as he turned back to face Celeborn, although his tone lost none of its intensity. "I would never take advantage of a woman, whether she were in a weakened state or no. You should know that, Celeborn," he added, "Or else much more has changed the past years than I had ever dreamt possible."

Celeborn sighed and swirled the wine around in his goblet. "I know that you would not," he said, and he suddenly sounded very tired. "Yet you must understand that this is my – _our _ – daughter."

Elrond bowed his head. "I know," he said quietly. "But I love her nonetheless."

Galadriel stiffened, slightly startled. Never before, at least not to her knowledge, had Elrond spoken those words, not even when it had come to Celebrían. Now, to hear him speak thus, especially after the events of the day…

She had known, Galadriel realized; she had known, at least subconsciously, that he loved her. Yet to hear him say it aloud was something else entirely.

Celeborn, too, was slightly stunned. He had known Elrond for longer than Galadriel had, having been in camp with Gil-galad for a number of years during the War of Wrath, along with a young Elrond who was yet only a green officer fresh out of training. Thus Celeborn knew well that Elrond was not one to share his feelings freely, usually safeguarding his heart and his thoughts carefully and savagely.

"Please, Lord Celeborn…" Celeborn's gaze turned to Elrond once more, not entirely sure of what was to come. Elrond rarely used the title of "Lord" for him unless they were in a formal setting. "…I wish to ask your permission to court your daughter. I admit," and here he laughed derisively, "This was not precisely the way in which I intended to ask…" He fell silent, unsure of what else to say.

Celeborn was silent. He looked to Galadriel, questioning what she thought of the matter, but she merely smiled serenely. This was his decision, not hers, or so the custom dictated. Celeborn looked back to Elrond, who was watching him carefully, looking for any sign that would give the younger elf a hint as to what Celeborn was thinking.

"Very well," Celeborn said brusquely. "You have my permission, and my blessing." Elrond bowed deeply, a blossoming smile spreading across his face. "But Elrond," Celeborn added, and this time his voice was a warning, "If you hurt her, or break her heart…" He trailed off, knowing that Elrond understood what he had left off. _If you hurt her, or break her heart, you will have me to answer to._

Elrond bowed again, although this time it was barely more than his head and his shoulders.

"I understand," he promised. "And I thank you, my lord, for both your permission and your blessing."

"Well," Galadriel finally said, stepping into the conversation, "Now that that has been settled, perhaps we can fulfill our original purpose for coming here tonight." She smiled as she turned to Elrond. "Thank you, Elrond, for saving Celebrían today." Celeborn nodded his head in agreement.

"We are in your debt," he added.

Elrond smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Nay, no need to thank me, and do not think that you owe me anything. You do not. If anything, it is I who am still repaying my many debts to the two of you."

Galadriel lifted her wine glass. "To debts repaid, then," she proclaimed, "And to new beginnings." At that last part, she graced Elrond with a small grin.

"To new beginnings," Celeborn repeated, and lifted his goblet as well.

Three glass goblets came together with a gentle _clink_, the wineglasses barely touching.

"To new beginnings," Elrond whispered, and lifted the goblet to his lips.


	7. Fire Warm, Fire Bright

**Disclaimer: **Er, none of this would be mine, except for a briefly mentioned council member. You'll probably see her again sometime, so please no taking of her without my permission. (Why you would wish to do so, I'm not ENTIRELY sure).

**Time frame:** Late winter, Second Age 1403

**Important Note:** Unless specifically noted (either in the chapter or in the companion tale), these vignettes will have no relation to any others of my writings. I plan (hope) to explore a few different AU's throughout the course of this series for one thing. For another, there are a few of these that conflict with my personal canon that I am building for Elrond.

Please note that THIS chapter IS part of my canon, and takes place a few weeks before a story that is in progress as we speak.

**A/N:** Whoa, I haven't updated this in ages. Which is really rather sad, because I have like five more vignettes in varying stages of completedness for this. And I adore writing El/Bri. I've just been so busy with other stuff, like working on Doomsday, Poisoned Star, and Darkness in the Forest (which I DO intend to update all of them very soon!), I haven't had much time to work on this. Most of my day yesterday was spent working on Poisoned Star, and for those of you who are reading it, I'll give you a spoiler alert - Elrond doesn't have a very happy next few days. By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, I just felt so bad for him, I had to write something happy and sappy with him and his wife. And then this came about (with finishing it today). This was in fact ALMOST called "A Nice End to a Bad Day," however I decided to go with something a little more poetic :P Also, I'd just like to say (proudly...?) that I think this fic has earned its T rating as of this chapter. Nothing graphic or explicit though, I promise. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who favorited and alerted last chapter, but SPECIAL thanks goes to all of you who reviewed: Crookneck, Silent One, and a Guest. Sadly, it seems as if I am losing readers (or is it just reviewers?)...a fact which makes me very sad, actually. Please, I would love it if you would take the time to drop off a few words. Most importantly though, enjoy.

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**Translations:**

Meleth: Love

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**~Fire Warm, Fire Bright~**

The fire burned merrily in the hearth, flames leaping and dancing and writhing, twisting together and then away in an intricate waltz. Golden light spilled from the grate, setting the deep red of the carpet aglow, until it blazed like an ember buried in the fire. Warmth too spilled from the fireplace, rolling through the room and dispelling the chill of the night.

A log snapped and collapsed among the smoldering remains of a half dozen of its brothers, sending a flurry of sparks up the chimney with a pop. A wave of heat rushed out as well, enveloping the air with its heady embrace.

Celebrían looked up at the sudden sound, her eyes darting to the steadily burning fire. She smiled slightly – really, it was barely more than a quirk of her lips – and then looked back down to the book settled on her lap. Her hair cascaded across one shoulder, falling against her face and forming a shimmering curtain of silver locks turned burnished gold by the firelight. Only the tip of one ear was visible through the tresses – tresses now looking so much like her mothers.

Elrond pushed open the door to the sitting room at the front of their suite, and entered quietly. He immediately caught sight of his wife sitting on the floor before the fireplace, a blanket draped over her legs, and absorbed in the book she held in her hands. He smiled softly at the sight, and the worry that had settled on his shoulders after the meeting with the Guard captains earlier in the day lightened.

On soft feet he drew nigh, his footsteps muffled by the luxurious carpet, and as he neared he held his breath. He knelt down behind her, and then snaked his arms beneath hers and latched his hands around her waist.

Celebrían squeaked slightly when his hands first brushed her sides, and then she laughed, realizing who it was. She turned to look up at him as he sat down behind her, his arms still securely wrapped around her stomach.

Elrond pulled Celebrían onto his lap, a move that Celebrían didn't mind in the least. She closed her book and leaned back, snuggling against his chest and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Difficult day?" Celebrían asked. She could always tell when he had had a hard day because, although he would not say anything of it, he would always seek her touch in a way that he never did any other time.

"Yes," he answered, and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, not particularly," Elrond replied. "And no, it is not that I seek to keep any burden form you. I simply do not know what to think of matters to begin with, and I fear finding myself even more confused than I already am."

Celebrían reached up and gently stroked her husband's cheek. "I think you need not fear such a thing," she told him. "And even if you do, I think you will find that you will manage to un-confuse yourself before the end. You always do, and I have the utmost faith that you always shall."

Elrond smiled then. Celebrían could feel the smile in his chest pressed against her back, in the way that he held her, and in the kiss that he dropped onto the top of her head.

"What would I ever do without you, Meleth?" Elrond asked.

"Probably be driving your councilors and captains up a wall with your despondent mood swings, and writing overly dramatic poetry," Celebrían told him matter-of-factly.

Elrond let loose a short bark of laughter, and Celebrían began to chuckle as well.

"I would hope that I am not quite _that_ bad," Elrond said, and Celebrían's laughter redoubled. She simply could not help herself, he just sounded so offended and distressed, all at once.

"No Love, you aren't," Celebrían assured him after she had gotten control of her mirth once more. "At least not _quite_," she added teasingly.

"Good," Elrond said, and then he chuckled again.

Celebrían finally truly relaxed in her beloved's arms, sensing that the worry and the beginnings of despair that had plagued his soul upon entry to their quarters had departed, at least for a time. She would be there to drive them away when they resurfaced, however, of that Celebrían was certain.

"Tell me about your day," Elrond urged, breaking the silence that had descended over them.

"There is not much to tell, really," Celebrían told him. "I finished writing the letter to my mother, and discussed Winter Solstice preparations with Sídhaer."

"And how did that go?" Elrond asked, unable to keep the slight wince from his tone. Sídhaer was one of his most stringent councilors, and was often in charge of organizing festivals and celebrations due to her immaculate sense of organization. She could be somewhat of a handful, however, if one could assign such a term to a two thousand year old elleth.

"Quite well, surprisingly," Celebrían replied. "Really, I just sat and listened to her discuss her plans, nodding and making agreeing sounds every once in a while. I trust that the Solstice celebration will come out perfectly fine without my input, and I have decided that it is simply not worth the amount of energy and ire that is required to change her mind once it has been made up."

"You have ever been the wiser of us, my love," Elrond said. "I seem to have not yet learned such a lesson."

"And I doubt you ever will," Celebrían informed him. "You are much too stubborn."

"Hmm," Elrond replied, and Celebrían wasn't sure if he was agreeing with her, or only making her think he was agreeing with her.

Celebrían shook her head slightly, before affectionately muttering, "Stubborn Peredhil."

"Ah, but that is part of my charm," Elrond rejoined.

"A bit self-assured, are we?" Celebrían asked.

"Why else would you marry me?" Elrond asked.

"Well, most definitely _not_ for your wit," Celebrían retorted, rising from his lap and turning so that she was facing him, her long-forgotten book falling from her lap.

Elrond grinned, his eyes sparkling, and leaned in to kiss her. For an instant Celebrían considered teasing him further by pulling away, but then her own desire overcame her and she leaned forward as well.

Their kiss was gentle at first, loving, but as it lengthened, it also grew more passionate. Elrond drew Celebrían down, one hand tangled in her hair and the other on her waist, until she was lying beneath him, her own hands on his hips.

"Is the door locked?" Celebrían asked, breaking the kiss for an instant.

"No," Elrond replied, "But no one would dare disturb us. Leastways, not unless the house was burning down or there were wargs on our very doorstep."

"Glorfindel would."

"I would kill him."

Celebrían grinned and lifted her head, capturing her husband's lips with hers quickly once more. "Good," she replied, and pulled him down to her.

The fire died down slowly until it was only a shimmering bed of gleaming embers. The little light that the glowing coals still gave off was just enough to illuminate the hearth and the two lovers lying there, blanket draped over them, and clasped in the other's embrace.

Burnished silver hair was tangled with ebony, the woman's head, which was resting on the man's bare chest, rising and falling with each gentle breath. One hand was pressed to his side, and the other was holding his arms, which were encircling her stomach, against her.

Together they slept as the embers slowly died.


	8. Knots

**Disclaimer:** please see previous chapters

**Time frame:** The twins are very young, probably around seven or eight.

**A/N:** Lol, so I realized today that I've had this one finished for like...4 or 5 days now. Oops! Haha. I finally went through and finished editing and am finally uploading. And yes, this is actually based off of what I've felt like for the majority of this week. Can I just say right now that I despise Weight Training, and the only reason I'm taking it is because I need another PE class to graduate because at my old school you only needed one semester and here now you need two, and it was either Weight Training or Freshman PE which I was NOT going to do. Haha. Anyway, so now you know the reason for my writing this, and just remember...this was my agony. Oh, and again, you'll understand the whole badger thing if you've read Crookneck's fic called Twelve Tunics. For some strange reason, I seem to have a fascination with that badger. And I hope, Crookneck, that where I went with it/the mention that I made in here doesn't bother you with how I took it!

Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed! This is now my second most reviewed story EVER, and it was the first to break the previous record of 36! (Poisoned Star is currently my most-reviewed, but that happened after this one broke 36) So thanks again, for reading AND reviewing! Enjoy!

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**Translations:**

Meleth: Love

* * *

**~Knots~**

Celebrían knew that there was something wrong as soon as he hobbled in through the door and allowed it to bang shut behind him. She leapt to her feet and rushed to her husband's side, taking his arm and leading him imperiously to the couch that she had only just vacated, despite his protestations.

"I am fine, Celebrían," Elrond insisted, trying in vain to pull his arm from her grasp.

Celebrían looked at her lover with ill-disguised disbelief. "No, you are not," she told him sternly and glared at him until he sat, an expression that, had it been on any other face but the Elven lord of Imladris's, would have been described as sheepish.

"Now tell me, what is the matter?" Celebrían commanded as she sat down beside him, although there was both an amused and slightly worried lilt to her voice. "Are you injured?" Elrond shook his head mutely, but did not fully meet her gaze. "Are you positive?" Celebrían did not sound entirely convinced.

"Yes, Meleth, I am sure," Elrond said, and then reached out to draw her into an embrace. He winced as he moved his arms however, something which Celebrían was quick to see. She stood quickly and turned to face her husband.

"Take off your robes," she ordered. When Elrond hesitated her blue eyes flashed, and Elrond found that was strongly reminded of her mother. He stood, although not as quickly as he seemed to have intended to, wincing as his legs once more bore his weight. Celebrían raised one sweeping eyebrow. She could not quite hide the worry in her face, however, even as she fixed her mate with a hard stare until he complied with her command.

Elrond shrugged off the thickly embroidered mantle, and then divested himself of the under-robe, until he was standing before his wife clad only in a loose silk shirt and leggings.

Celebrían examined him with a careful, critical eye, looking for the telltale lumps of bandages wound about shoulder or knee, or the blotches and stains that would indicate blood. She found neither, much to her relief.

"See, Meleth?" Elrond asked, spreading his hands out to his sides. "I am well. No injuries to be seen." Celebrían frowned at his words, and Elrond seemed to realize just what he had implied with his choice of words for he sighed, grimacing again. "Truly, Meleth, I am well," he promised, and took a step forward.

It was only then, unburdened by the thick material of his robes, that Celebrían was able to see the odd tightening of his chest as he moved, and the way that he overcompensated for barely bending his knees as he stepped forward, which made him look as if he were hobbling. Suddenly, Celebrían thought she knew what was ailing him.

Celebrían laughed lightly and, stepping forward, she placed one hand upon his breast and gently pushed him back down to the sofa.

"Lie down," she bade, her voice now soft and sympathetic. Elrond sighed, but he complied nonetheless, even turning over onto his stomach at Celebrían's light touch.

Celebrían found the first knot almost immediately. It was just inside the right shoulder blade, and the skin above the cramping muscle was discernibly warm, even through the shirt. As she pressed down against his gently, fingers probing to find the full extent of the knot, Elrond hissed and flinched.

"This will go better if you take your shirt off as well," Celebrían said, pulling her hands back. Elrond moaned, but sat up and began to pull the shirt over his head. He stopped before he had it halfway up, grimacing in pain. Celebrían smiled softly and gently took the hem from his hands, then pulled the fabric over his head for him, his arms sliding through. She dropped it atop the pile of his discarded robes, and Elrond carefully lay back down once more.

Carefully, methodically, Celebrían worked her way down Elrond's back, finding five more similar knots as she worked her way down toward his hips. His neck, too, was cramping she found a moment later, as were both of his shoulders and upper arms. Celebrían winced in sympathy each time he gasped or flinched.

"What was it that you were doing that would manage to knot yourself up like this?" Celebrían asked as she began to massage his shoulders, carefully beginning to work out the worst of the knots there.

"If you truly wish to know," Elrond retorted, his voice muffled as he spoke into the cushion in which his face was buried, "Ask Glorfindel." Resolving to indeed ask the Balrog Slayer what he had forced her husband to do that day, Celebrían ceased questioning Elrond, instead focusing on forcing the muscle to relax its painful constriction.

"Ow," Elrond groaned a moment later as the muscle finally began to relax. Celebrían could not help but smirk slightly – rarely was he ever so vocal about his pain, and she actually found it to be a tad amusing, despite the distress that she felt at his hurt.

"I can tell that you are laughing, or nearly so," Elrond told his wife, turning his head so that his cheek was pressed against the cushion. Celebrían glanced up at Elrond's face for an instant, before returning her attention to his back.

"Yes, I am," she said and finally allowed herself to chuckle lightly, although she did not expound.

Elrond, unsatisfied, raised an eyebrow. "And why, might I ask, are you laughing?"

Celebrían smirked. "You remind me of an old badger that I met once. It looked as if it had been caught in a trap at some point in its life – in its youth, I believe, for the scars were old and well-worn – and it moved a bit stiffly. It was to both my surprise, as well as my mother's, when the old badger appeared in the clearing and simply stood there, watching us for a long while. Eventually it approached, but only at our coaxing, and it flat out refused to go near enough to my mother that she could have touched it." Elrond's eyebrows crept a little higher, and he urged her to go on with her tale. "However, it came close to me, even so close as to touch my knee with its nose. I held out my hand, and it put its forehead against my palm for just an instant." Celebrían grinned then. "It grumbled the entire time it touched me, and I would swear by the Valar, it sounded as if it were chuckling about something. And then, just as abruptly as it had appeared in the glade, it was gone, loping stiffly off into the underbrush."

"And I remind you of this badger?" Elrond asked, sounding vaguely amused.

"Yes. You do right now at least," she added, and then moved down to work on his lower back. "Grumbling and stiff. And old as well," she put in. Elrond laughed, although it quickly turned into a groan as Celebrían found and began to massage another knotted muscle.

"If I am old, then what does that make you?" he asked a few seconds later.

"Less old," she replied. The final muscle began to relax, the knot slowly loosening.

Celebrían sighed and stretched her fingers. Hearing the sound, Elrond glanced at her and then began to sit up, seeing the faintest signs of strain and pain in her face. Instantaneously her hand was on his bare back and pressing him firmly down once more, however.

"No, Elrond, lie still and let your body relax," she told him. He sighed, but knowing the wisdom in her words, obeyed, and she could feel his muscles loosen once more as he allowed himself to simply lie still.

When he was comfortably settled and not looking as if he intended to move again for a long while, Celebrían bent over and kissed his shoulder – the nearest part of his body to his head that she could reach from her angle – and then stood.

"Where are you going?" he mumbled from the pillow.

Celebrían laughed softly. "To find Glorfindel," she told him. "I think I deserve an explanation. Do not worry, I shall be back soon, and with some chamomile tea for you as well," she promised.

"Celebrían?" Elrond called out as she started for the door, halting her. She turned and saw him rise up onto his side. His silver eyes were gleaming, and a gentle smile was hovering over his delicate lips. "Thank you," he murmured.

Celebrían crossed back to the couch and knelt by his side for an instant – just long enough to press her lips gently to his. When she pulled away, her smile was matching his.

"You are welcome, my love," she replied. "Always."

With that she was gone, the door to their chambers swinging shut behind her and leaving only the soft scent of roses in her wake and her taste on his lips.

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**A/N II:** What it was that Glorfindel did to Elrond I have NO idea. That's why he didn't answer when Celebrian asked. I think it _might _have something to do with the Twins, but we'll see. I'll probably eventually write something concerning the day in which this takes place, but as for now...use your own imaginations! If you have any ideas, then please, _please, _PLEASE share them with me! Thanks again for reading, and I hope you'll take the time to drop off a review!


	9. Snowfall

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters

**Time frame:** Prior to Elrond and Celebrian beginning to court. It was said that Elrond loved Celebrian at their first meeting. It is my belief that she also fell in love with him at first sight. Yet even so, it took Elrond something like a thousand years to actually speak of his love for her. So, this can take place at any time between then, excluding when Celebrian was out of Rivendell, and the Last Alliance.

**A/N:** Hey guys...long time no update, no? *sigh* I shan't regale you all with my reasons. I've just...been busy, and inspiration-less (for the most part). But I'm currently caught in the middle of the huge snow storm gripping the central portion of the United States. And I was just like "SNOW! I have to write something..." And so I did. And I think I just may be getting my groove back. Yay!

Thank you, as usual, to all of you who favorited and/or alerted! But special thanks goes to LalaithElerrina, Crookneck, AnneWithane, Greenleaf's Daughter, cai-ann, and last but most CERTAINLY not least, Ithilethiel Peredhel for reviewing. And guys, this story is only four away from having fifty reviews! Do...do you think you guys could possibly get it there? Because that would be awesome. And I would love you all sooo very much! (not that I don't already, of course!) Haha. Alright, and now that this A/N is nearly as long as the fic itself...:) Enjoy!

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**~Snowfall~**

The snow fell thick and fast from a pale, washed-out gray sky, filling the still air with drifting flurries. Silence hung over the valley, hushing even the sound of the cascading waterfalls as if in reverence for the crystal flakes tumbling end over end from the heavens. Even the wind itself, which was often heard whispering through the valley and dancing between the steep ravine wall-faces, was still, allowing the snowflakes to drift down on their own course toward the earth far below.

The ground was dusted in a brilliant white blanket, pristine and perfect. The rich green of pines and evergreen shrubs peered through the gathering snow, standing out like stark shadows against the unblemished white, and every so often a splash of red would mark a holly bush or a winter-blooming vine. And all the while the trees stood straight and tall, lifting their barren fingers to the gray sky in a parody of worship, snow gathering on their slim branches and nestling in the crooks of their trunks.

It seemed that only a single living being moved through the slumbering world, her fur-lined boots leaving hardly a mark in the deepening snow as she flitted through the garden. Yet it seemed as if, behind her, the world seemed to awaken. A red-crested cardinal shook his feathers in a nearby cedar, sending snow tumbling all around him as he puffed his breast up to keep warm. Out from beneath a nearby log crept a small rabbit, snow white and bushy-tailed, nose twitching madly. A squirrel chittered happily from the high branches of one of the barren trees, and a sparrow twittered back. And all about her the snow swirled, as if coming alive at her presence.

The snow settled onto her white cloak, as well as her hood, which she had pulled up over her hair. Yet the cusp of the hood was not drawn so far forward that it protected her face from the gently falling flakes, and her long, dark lashes were dusted with white. Her cheeks were a light pink from the cold, but there was a bright, vibrant sparkle in her eyes, which were as blue as the ice that sat at the center of the deepest pool.

Just for an instant, she felt a strange prickling at the base of her neck, as if someone were watching her. Whirling, she glanced up at the grand house rising not far away, her eyes latching onto a window set on the second story and nearly half-way along the wall. She saw nothing, nothing but the faint fluttering of a curtain as a breath of air caught it and, almost as if out of the corner of her perception, a faint flash of silver and ebony. But then it was gone, and she felt that she must have imagined it.

Even so, she blushed as she turned away.


	10. Reluctant Awakenings

**Disclaimer:** Neither Lord of the Rings nor anything pertaining to Lord of the Rings belongs to moi. All belongs to Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate, and all others to whomsoever they belong.

**Time frame:** Not entirely sure, to be honest. Could be any time after Elrond and Celebrían's marriage.

**A/N:** So, confession time here...I honestly hadn't intended to update again until after all of my other WIPs were updated. And the next chapter was supposed to be a sequel of sorts to Snowfall...it's not. Oops. Heh...heh? This was all kinda based off of me last night: basically, I was having a hard time moving at all (unless it involved me going downstairs to get dinner), and it literally took me fifteen minutes to gather the gumption to move the two and a half feet to get my backpack. And most of that fifteen minutes went to writing this. Lol.

Thank you so very much to everyone who reviewed last chapter, as well as to those who favorited and alerted! We crossed the 50 review mark! Thank you all so, so, SO very much. I love you all, and you all are so wonderful. I would really, really appreciate it if you would take the time to leave a review, though, even if it is just a short "Liked it!" or whatnot. :) Most importantly, however, enjoy!

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**Translations:**

Meleth: Love

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**~Reluctant Awakenings~**

When Celebrían first awoke, she did not notice anything terribly unusual about the day. True, the sun was shining in through the window at a strange angle, and her husband was still firmly ensconced in the blankets on their bed, his loose hair tumbling out over the pillow and hiding his face from view, but still, there was naught to alert her to any strange happenings that fair spring morn. While it was not entirely normal for Elrond to sleep longer than she, it was not unheard of either, and the last few months had not been what one would call exactly "stress free" or "relaxing" (to put it mildly). She leaned over, kissed her husband on what she assumed was his cheek, slipped out of bed, and went about preparing to greet the day.

When Celebrían returned to their bedroom from the bathing room however, the last remnants of slumber dashed from her eyes, face washed, hair brushed, and her curling locks pinned up loosely with a few carefully placed pins, she found that her husband was still in bed. Indeed, it appeared as if he had not moved at all since she had departed.

Crossing to the bedside, Celebrían leaned down and brushed the hair away from Elrond's face. He twitched as sunlight hit his face, and his eyes instinctively slid shut. But he did not react in any other way, and he seemed to not have emerged from slumber in the least. Celebrían frowned. Most unusual.

"Elrond, dearest?" Celebrían called to him, stroking his cheek. He didn't respond. "Elrond?" Celebrían called again, a little louder this time. "Come, beloved, it is time to awaken."

One silver-grey eye blinked open slowly and Elrond gazed up at his wife lethargically. An unintelligible mumble rumbled from his chest, and then he casually draped one arm over his eyes and rolled over. Celebrían arched an eyebrow.

"Elrond? Is all well?" she asked, the smallest niggling of worry whispering in her mind. Another mumble, and Celebrían frowned again. It had sounded remarkably like Elrond had said _"Go 'way Brí."_ "Elrond," Celebrían admonished, and sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress sinking a little as it took her weight.

With a sigh, Elrond rolled back over, and this time both of his eyes were open. "Yes Meleth?" Elrond asked resignedly, his words much more distinguishable, although only a little less lethargic. He knew that tone of voice.

"What are you doing?" Celebrían asked at last, after seeming to have a struggle with finding the right words to say.

"I am lying in bed, currently," Elrond replied calmly. His arm was still draped over his forehead, shading his eyes.

Celebrían's other eyebrow crawled up to join the first. Only rarely had she ever heard her beloved husband use that tone of voice; indeed, she could likely count on one hand the times that he had used it during their marriage. It was a strange mixture of abandon, wry laughter, and whimsy, and Celebrían could not help but be reminded of a young boy, only just barely coming of age, whenever he used it.

"Well, you should rise soon," Celebrían said, pushing through the confusion that had descended upon her thoughts. "I believe I overheard Sídhaer speaking yester evening of something that she desperately needed to speak with you about."

Elrond snorted inelegantly. "That settles it then," he announced, turning onto his back. "I'm not getting up." With that he slid farther down beneath the blankets, bunching them up around his chin. Celebrían laughed, and then rose to go to the wardrobe that hung her dresses.

"Truly, Elrond, you are acting like a brash warrior only just in training," she told him lightly as she took down a pale yellow dress and silver belt made of finely linked loops.

"Truly, Celebrían," Elrond retorted, using the very same inflections of voice that Celebrían had used, "I simply can't be bothered with moving at the moment." His voice was ever so slightly muffled, and when Celebrían turned around, she saw why – Elrond had pulled the blankets entirely over his head, blocking out sunlight and extraneous noise alike.

"What has gotten into you today?" Celebrían asked, dropping the dress on the edge of the bed and sitting down once more. She touched the lump-that-was-Elrond, and she could feel his sigh, even though she could not quite hear it.

Elrond's head reemerged from the top of the blankets, and he looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. _If he had mastered that look as a child, 'tis a wonder he did not grow up a spoilt princeling,_ Celebrían mused. Elrond smirked ever so slightly, having at least partially sensed the thought.

"Come back to bed," Elrond urged, extracting a hand to grasp Celebrían's. The elf-maid sighed, then shook her head – although not with denial, it may be noted, but rather with the slightest bit of exasperation.

"We cannot simply forgo our duties, Elrond. You know this."

"Imladris will not fall to pieces in a single day. And besides, Erestor and Glorfindel can manage the Valley on their own, at least for a few hours. Surely her lord and lady can enjoy themselves for a single morning?"

Celebrían sighed, and then shook her head yet again.

"I do not know how you managed to convince me of this," she said at last, pulling off her light over robe before shifting the blankets so that she could slip beneath them. Elrond smiled and held them up as she situated herself, and then he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her snugly against him.

"Because you love me," he replied smugly, kissing the tip of her ear.

"Hmm, perhaps," Celebrían mumbled, but she did not sound in the least upset or aggravated any longer.

And for the rest of the morning, neither of them left their bed.


End file.
